U.S. patent number 5,037,014 [Application Number 07/516,671] was granted by the patent office on 1991-08-06 for rotary feeder.
Invention is credited to William L. Bliss.
United States Patent |
5,037,014 |
Bliss |
August 6, 1991 |
Rotary feeder
Abstract
An impeller for metering material from an input to an output is
mounted on a central shaft. The impeller is formed by a hub, a disc
formed with the central hub and extending normal to the rotational
axis of the hub. A plurality of spaced first vanes is formed with
the disc and extends from the periphery of the disc to the hub. A
second plurality of spaced vanes is attached intermediate the first
vanes to the disc and extends from the periphery of the disc to a
location intermediate the periphery and the hub. The back of the
disc has a plurality of slots which will mate with both the first
and second vanes of a preceding impeller. An adapter disc is also
provided which has a plurality of radial slots on both surfaces of
the disc which mate with the vanes of the previously described
impeller. When the adapter disc is placed on the shaft and mated
with the vanes of the preceding impeller, a last or reversed
impeller can be put on by reversing the impeller so that the vanes
extend toward the adapter disc thus locking in the entire impeller
with slots in each succeeding and preceding impeller. In addition
to the above, a pair of keyways is provided in each hub. One keyway
aligns with the long vane and a second keyway aligns with the short
vanes. In this regard then, the long and the short vanes can be
staggered axially down the impeller shaft.
Inventors: |
Bliss; William L. (Newkirk,
OK) |
Family
ID: |
24056619 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/516,671 |
Filed: |
April 30, 1990 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/410;
222/368 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G
65/4881 (20130101); B02C 23/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65G
65/00 (20060101); B02C 23/02 (20060101); B02C
23/00 (20060101); B65G 65/48 (20060101); G01F
011/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/311,312,316,367,368,410,414 ;137/99.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Huppert; Michael S.
Assistant Examiner: Pomrening; Anthoula
Claims
What I claim is:
1. An impeller for a mill for metering materials comprising a
central hub; a disc formed with said central hub and extending
normal to the rotational axis of said hub, said disc having an
outer periphery and an inner and outer surface; a plurality of
spaced first vane means having an inner and outer edge, said inner
edge formed with said disc and said hub, said disc having an outer
periphery and an inner and outer surface; a plurality of spaced
first vane means having an inner and outer edge, said inner edge
formed with said disc and said hub and extending radially from said
periphery to said hub; a plurality of second vane means spaced
between said first vane means, said second vane means having an
inner and outer edge, said inner edge formed with said disc and
extending from said periphery to a location intermediate said
periphery and said hub; a plurality of radial slots formed in the
outer surface of said disc and dimensioned to receive the outer
edge of said first and second vane means of a second mating
impeller when said second mating impeller is positioned adjacent to
said impeller first mentioned.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first vane means is
aligned with said second vane means in said succeeding
impeller.
3. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said central hub
includes an inner axial opening for receiving a shaft means and
wherein first and second key slot means are axially aligned with
said first and second vane means respectively whereby a single
keyway slot in said shaft means can properly orient each of said
vane means.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hub, disc and first
and second vane means are molded as a single unit from
polyethelyne.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hub, disc and first
and second vane means are molded as a single unit from
polypropyline.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a shaft means having a
plurality of impellers there along each spaced adjacent each other
in a manner to force each outer edge of each vane means into an
adjacent mating radial slot in said adjacent disc, disc coupling
means having a hub means for receiving said shaft means, an inner
and outer surface means and a periphery; radial slot means formed
in both said inner and outer surface means; said radial slot means
formed in said inner and outer surface means mating with the outer
edges of said vane means on said adjacent impellers, a last
impeller mounted on said shaft means with said disc and vane means
oriented 180.degree. from said plurality of impellers, said last
impeller's outer edge of said vane means mating with said radial
slot means in said outer surface of said disc coupling means.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first vane means is
aligned with said second vane means in said succeeding
impeller.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said hub means includes
an inner axial opening for receiving a shaft means and wherein
first and second keyway slot means are axially aligned with said
first and second vane means respectively whereby a single keyway
slot in said shaft means can properly orient each of said vane
means.
9. Apparatus dependent on claim 6 wherein said hub, disc and first
and second vane means are molded as a single unit from
polyethelyne.
10. Apparatus dependent on claim 6 wherein said hub, disc and first
and second vane means are molded as a single unit from
polypropyline.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The best prior art known to applicant is U.S. Pat. No. 2,475,381
issued July 5, 1949, to J. A. Erickson and U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,965
issued Sept. 21, 1971, to C. E. Cortelyon, et al. The Erickson
patent describes a feed device for mills for metering grain from an
inlet hopper to an outlet and essentially comprises a shaft having
a pair of impellers mounted thereon. One impeller is staggered in
location from the second impeller. The patent to Cortelyou, et al,
illustrates a plurality of impellers having discs between the
impellers each of which is mounted on axially on a shaft. The
impellers are used for metering pulverized material from the inlet
to the outlet of a mill.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention describes a novel impeller for metering pulverized
material from an inlet to an outlet in a mill, for example. The
impeller is unique in that it is molded from a single piece of
plastic. In order to provide rigidity to the plastic during normal
use, the succeeding impeller has a plurality of radial slots
adapted to recieve the impeller blades from the preceding impeller
so that the impeller vanes will lock rigidly into the succeeding
impeller. In order to support the last impeller, a coupling disc is
provided which has slots on both sides of the disc. This disc is
adapted to receive the preceding impeller into slots on one side of
the adapter disc and the vanes from a reversed impeller on the
other side of the adapter disc. The end impeller will have its
vanes locked rigidly into the adapter plate thereby providing
sufficient structural strength for a plastic impeller. A central
recess is provided to accept the hub along with the extending
vanes.
The entire impeller is formed of a polyethylene or polypropylene
plastic. The above mentioned plastics have a decided advantage over
making the impellers out of metal since the plastics are very tough
and very slick. Therefore, the material being metered through the
impeller will not stick to the impeller blades causing jamming or
filling of the impeller blades by the material passing through. The
long and short arrangement of the impellers also provides an added
advantage for permitting the material to flow more evenly through
the impeller particularly if the material is of a larger size.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an impeller blade;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a pair of joined impeller blades;
and,
FIG. 3 is an expanded view of an impeller, a coupling disc and a
reversed impeller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to all of the figures but in particular to FIG. 1, an
impeller referred to generally by arrow 10 is illustrated. Impeller
10 has a central hub referred to by an arrow 11 and has an axial
opening 12 therethrough. Axial opening 12 is adapted to recieve a
shaft used to turn impeller 10. A disc 13 is formed with hub 11 and
has a periphery 14, an inner surface 15 and an outer surface 16
formed continuous with disc 14 and hub 11.
A plurality of long vanes 17 extend from periphery 14 to the outer
surface 18 of hub 11. In the particular embodiment illustrated,
there are four long vanes 17 illustrated. The use of four vanes is
merely for convenience and better illustrates the placement of the
vanes with the hub and the disc. It is obvious that many more than
four vanes can be incorporated and is still be well within the
scope of this invention. For example, the preferred embodiment has
a minimum of eight long vanes and a like number of the shorter
vanes to be described.
A plurality of shorter vanes 19 extends from periphery 14 to a
location intermediate the periphery 14 and the outer surface 18 of
hub 11. Preferably these vanes are approximately one-half the
length of longer vanes 17. A plurality of radial slots 20 is formed
in surface 16 of disc 13. These slots extend a length sufficient to
permit the outer edge 21 of both the short 19 and the long 17 vanes
to mate therein. A recess is also provided to accept the outer edge
22 of hub 11, (see FIG. 3).
One of the unique features of this molded unit is the ability to
properly orient the long 17 and the short 19 vanes with respect to
each other. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be shown that long vanes 17
is aligned with the short vane 19A in a subsequent impeller 10A. In
order to accomplish the above, a unique plurality of keyway slots
23 and 24 are provided in hub 11. It should be here noted that
keyway slot 23 is aligned with short vane 19 and keyway slot 24 is
aligned with long vane 17. Thus, with a shaft having a single
keyway, the vanes can be aligned with the long vanes 17 and the
short vanes 19 in alignment as illustrated in FIG. 2 merely by
aligning keyway slot 23 with the keyway in the shaft for impeller
10 and keyway 24 in the keyway of the shaft for impeller 10A. In
order to accomodate and support the end impeller, a unique adapter
disc is provided. Referring to FIG. 3, adaptor disc 25 has a
plurality of slots 26 on one face and slots 27a and 27b, for
example, on the other face. Slots 26 will mate with vanes 17 and 19
when disc 25 is moved in the direction of arrows 50. Ends 21 will
fit into slots 26. A second impeller 10c is reversed 180.degree. on
its axis so that vanes 31 and 32 are facing adaptor disc 25.
Impeller 10c is then moved in the direction of arrows 51 until
impeller vanes 31 and 32, for example, mate with slots 27b and 27a
respectively. All of the impellers will then be interlocked and
secure.
OPERATION
In normal operation, the feed apparatus is constructed by placing a
plurality of impellers 10, 10A, etc., along a shaft (not
illustrated) having a single keyway (not illustrated). Such an
impeller assembly is formed by placing the key in the keyway on the
shaft into slot 23 for example. Then a second impeller, 10A, is
placed on the shaft so that its keyway 24 is aligned with the
keyway on the shaft. Such an assembly will then cause the long vane
17 to be aligned with the short vane 19A (as illustrated in FIG.
2). Once a sufficient number of impellers 10 and 10A have been
assembled on the shaft, then adapter disc 25 is placed on the
shaft. Its keyway slot 33 will pass onto the shaft and its keyway,
and slide up to and engage vanes 17 and 19 which will pass into
slots 26 anchoring the outer edges 21 of vane 17 and 19 into
adapter disc 25. A reversed impeller 10C is then inserted on the
disc so that its long vane 31 is properly aligned with a short vane
19 of the preceding impeller 10. It is obvious that several
additional reversed impellers 10C can be placed on the shaft
without deteriorating from the operation of the impeller since each
of the reverse shafts will be securely anchored into either the
slots 27A and 27B in adapter 25 or in slots 20 in disc 14 of
impeller 10C for example.
The plastic used to mold each of the discs provides an extremely
strong unitary impeller which is also very slippery, thereby
providing for ease in discharging the material once it falls into
the impeller.
CONCLUSIONS
A unique impeller has been shown that can be assembled into a large
feed assembly for accomodating movement of grain from an input to
an output through a series of impellers. The impellers are
manufactured from a single unitary plastic and are interlocked so
that they are extemely strong during normal use.
It is obvious that other modifications, changes and variations can
be made and still be within the spirit and scope of this invention
as described in the specification and appended claims.
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